Westlake student named 201819 student board member
Rising senior Patel hopes to address concerns, share student input
It seems like only yesterday since Krisha Patel served as one of three junior class marshals during graduation for Westlake High School’s Class of 2018 on June 1, beaming with school spirit as she held a big white “Westlake Wolverines” sign adorned in orange and teal hand lettering.
Patel witnessed a remarkable moment of
her school’s history that day. Three hundred and twelve Wolverines walked across the stage, leaving a legacy as Westlake’s first senior class in over two decades to earn one of the highest amounts in scholarship offers — an astounding $15.9 million.
But now that graduation has come and gone, Patel, a rising senior, is ready to begin her future as she turns the tassel in her own right.
On June 12, the Charles County Board of Education conferred upon Patel the title of student member of the board for the 2018-2019 school year. She was sworn in by board Chairwoman Barbara Palko during the group’s monthly meeting at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata.
“I feel as if this new position allows me to advocate for the student body as a whole,” Patel said. “I’ve seen many precedents set by the previous members, but I feel like something needs to be different. I think more student voice needs to be inputted.”
Patel said she wants to seek input from all students and not just relay concerns through herself, or other student liaisons. One of her biggest concerns is the lack of motivation among some students due to them not feeling supported and the amount of testing they face at the end of the year.
“Before being elected, I established [Charles County’s first-ever] SMOB Advisory Council consisting of members from various high schools and middle schools [within the county],” she continued. “That way, I can get their perspectives on things so I’m not just going blindly based off of what I think. It’s about the student body as a whole and what they think.”
Patel is currently second in her class with a cumulative GPA of 4.47. She wears many hats which include serving as Westlake’s Class of 2019 president, member of the student government association, captain of the varsity tennis team, president of the National Honor Society, vice president of the international club and co-captain of the school’s math team. Patel has also served as secretary for the Charles County Association of Student Councils (CCASC) and is now enrolled in the Project Lead the Way engineering program.
“Many people who I work with are also members of the county and state association of student councils. We feed off of each other’s ideas and it allows me to work in a more team-building environment,” said Patel, who was required to submit an essay about a student concern and propose possible solutions for her new role. “I feel like that’s really going to help this year.”
As the county’s new student board member, the 17-year-old Waldorf resident said she looks forward to sharing a lot more student input and helping her peers get the right resources from their teachers.
One of her other goals is to create a countywide conference that not only allows students to share their opinions, but to also participate in workshops, student events and create a mental health awareness day.
“Two years ago, we had the same [student] board member from Westlake and that actually helped me see a lot like what goes on behind the scenes,” Patel said. “Last year, I was able to attend a few board meetings to see how everything is done and decided that this is something I want to do. I don’t plan on being in politics but it’s something that I definitely have a lot of interest in because it will help keep me informed.”
Patel will work alongside a 15-member student liaison committee, consisting of seven high school and eight middle school students, and several CCASC student representatives.
For other students who are considering joining the education board, Patel advises them to keep abreast of important things beforehand like policies so that they know where to stand and what input to seek from their peers.
“This is not something I would have thought that I was going to do,” she said. “But I knew some of my closest friends who were doing it and I really liked what it stood for. I began to understand that this is a big platform and there’s a lot that can be done with it.”